Snow handling and removing means.



A. STRAUSS. snow HANDLING AND nnmovme mums.

APPLICATION FILED APBJS, 1910. 974,306, Patented Nov: 1,1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

. l I I XITQEE ['1 ENVENTEJQ- \X/I NEEEEE:

A.- STRAUSS.

SNOW HANDLING AND REMOVING MEANS.

APPLICATION FILED APILIS. 1910.

974,306. Patented Nov. 1,1910.

2 BHEETBSHEBT 2.

INVEN E 7mm o 477,117 ,sfijflugg -.ARMIN STRAUSS, OF-ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

SNOW HANDLING AND REMOVING MEANS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AnMIN SrrnAUss, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved, Snow Handlin and Removing Means, of which the followmg is a specification. This invention relates to means for removing, preferably, masses or piles of snow from public streets as will be explained.

The usual method of removing snow frbm streets consists in loading the same upon sleighs or wagons and drawing it to a suitable locality where it may be dumped or unloaded. In many towns and cities there 1s not afforded a suitable dumpin place where the snow may be unloaded or dumped without involving considerable labor and ex-' pense and under any circumstances the loading or unloadlng of the snow and drawlng it to such a dumping place involves a large amount of labor and expense.

My present invention comprises means for scooping up the snow and delivering it to a suitably heated chamber where it is melted and the melted snow, in the form of water, is delivered from the machine to the streets either at the location of the device or it may be conveyed by means of hose to a suitable sewer opening. In accordance with my invention, then, I provide a melting chamber suitably mounted upon a truck provided with a fireplace or furnace a part of the heat from which maybe used to generate steam in a suitable boiler for propelling the appa.-'

ratus and for operating the revolving blades which I prefer to make use of in order to more finely divide the masses of snow and keepthe same in motion so that it may be more rapidly melted. From this same source of power suitable connections are made for operating the scoop used to scoop up the snow and to deliver it to the melting chamher.

Very obviously any source of power may be used for propelling the whole device along the street or roadway and for operating the revolving blades and also for operating the scoop although I have found it desirable to make use of a steam engine for this purpose although gas engines or internal combustion engines may be substituted therefor, or an electric motor, as,des1red.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 13, 1910. Serial No. 555,172.

Patented Nov. 1, 1910.

use of as the source of power and the steam therefor is generated in a suitable boiler heated from the furnace for maintaining the meltim chamber at a proper temperature to melt t1e snow.

The accompanying drawings illustrating such an embodiment of my invention are as follows;

Fi re 1 is a side view and Fig. 2 is a com tral ongitudinal sectional view of the machine. Fig, 3 shows the steering mechanism in plan view. Fig. 4 is a front view and Fig. 5 is a rear view of the machine. Figs. 6, 8 and 9 are front, rear and side views, respectively, of the case containin the melting chamber and the furnace. ig. 7 is a. transverse sectional view taken just to the rear of the series of revolving snow cutting blades seen in Fig. 2. Fig. 10 is a view from the right, of Fig. 5, of a part of the actuating mechanism for the snow scoop, as will be explained. Fig. 11 is a sectional detail view of the clutch mechanism on the stud s on one side of the machine.

Similar characters of reference refer to similar arts throughout the several figures of the rawings.

' Referring to the drawings. My machine is supported from front and rear wheels w and w, respectively, through the medium of the curved channeled beams D supported at their rear ends from the rear axle F. These channeled beams D are extended to the rear and connected by a cross beam cl, and by a platform D which is provided to receive the engine Z, and Within this inclosure, thus formed, a suitable quantity of coal may be carried for the purpose of supplying the furnace of the machine. The channeled beams D are curved upwardly at their forward ends and connected by a cross bar 1 beneath which is secured the upper member of the fifth wheel the lower member being connected witi the axle F and for swinging the axle F there is provided a chain or cable m engaging through suitable e es on the axle F and wound taut around t e shaft M havin bearings in the channeled beams D and rovided on the right hand side of the mac ine with a worm gear m engaged by a worm m on the shaft m lowermost position and resting on and .se-'

Between and secured to the forward ends' of the beams D there extends a connecting plate D comprising a suitable stop plate adapted to support the snow'scoop E in its cured to the brackets (1. Between and supported from the-beams D there is seen an obliquely disposed cross bar a! ada. ted to support the casing A containing the eating chamber and the revolving bladesand also the boiler and also carryin a grating H comprising the fire-bed fort e heating furnace. TlllS casing A at its rear end rests on the channeled cross bar d. This casing A is provided on its sides with double walls a and a spaced apart a short distance and with the intervening space filled with any suitable nonconducting medium for heat such as sand as seen at h in Fig. 7. With this case A there is located a melting chamber havin the curved bottom wall A and within this latter chamber there is revolubly sup orted upon the shaft S the cutting bla es y. The shaft S extends through the side walls of the melting chamber and also through the side walls of the case A and is revolubly su ported therein. {The side walls a of the me ting chamber are spaced apart from and within the side walls of the casing A to permit the heat fromthe furnace to ass entirely around the melting chamber on its sides. The top of the casing is seen at a. The front of the casing is formed in two sections, anrobliquely and downwardly extending section a and a short vertically dis'' posed section a? and beneath which latter there extends obliquely to the-rear, a bottom or lower wall a and to the rear of that and connecting therewith is seen the bottom of the ash pit a"-while the rear wall of the, casing A is seen at a.

Pipes 7' are suitably connected to the melting chamber through its side walls and at the openings 0, and such pipes extend outwardly through the side walls of the casing A and may be provided with suitable valves as j adapted, if desired, to receive suitable coupling members from a hose such as n which may be wound upon the reel n revolubly supported upon the shaft N, which, in turn may be squared off to receive a suitable crank for winding the hose a up when not in use. It is usually unnecessary to use such a hose as the waterfrom themelted snow may be permitted to pass out upon the roadbed or pavement but sometimes I have found it desirable to make use of the hose to convvey the water to a sewer opening.

ear a secured to the wall a and provided with an extension '5 having a crank-like projection adapted to be engaged by the. hook i pivotally susported from the side wall of mated in Fi 9.

The fire chamber is line on the inside, with suitable fire brick k to properl protect the same and at the rear end of t e fire chamber but through the side walls of the casing A there are formed openin 0 throu h which extend pi es J for providing casing A as in suitab e draft and for t e escape of smoke I from the furnace.

In the rear of the casing A and above'the furnace and also to the rear of the melting chamber is seen a boiler com rising drums B and B connected by 'suitabl water pipes b suitably supported in the casing in any desired way, not shown, and provided with a steam dome b and having a feed pi e b for supplgin steam to the cylinder 0 the engine t e motion of the piston of which is transmitted to the engine shaft S through the mediumof the crank z thereon and the connecting link or pitman z. A branch of the pipe as seen at 15 is adapted to su ply an injector, B taking the water supp y through ipes b from the water at the bottom of t e melting chamber and connected through the pipe 6 to the boiler in the usual way.

The snow scoop E is ,pivotally hinged at its upper end, as seen, to brackets e secured to the ortion a of the wall of the casing A. The si e walls e of the scoop E are adapted to hold and retain between them the snow that is scooped up and a U shaped bar e extends across and between the sides e and is secured thereto and to this bar e, near its middle, there is secured a cable or chain U which also engages through and is secured to the e e-bar e projectin outwardly and upward y from the door hinged ate as seen to-the top of the casing A, in such a way that, when such cable or chain U is drawn to the right, with reference to Fig. 1, the scoop E is raised to the position indicated in dotted lines at E and the door C is raised to the position indicated in dotted lines at C whereby the snow scooped up by the scoop E is delivered through the opening'() for the door G into the melting chamber-and is continuously cut up and moved to the rear thereof b means of the revolving blades y. The cab e or chain U may-extend between suitable rollers o revolubly supportcd from ears or arms V secured to the top of the casing A. Arms V secured to the top of the steam dome b of the boiler B are also provided with rollers o and also with a rearwardly extending channeled arm V in wln ch the cable or chain U is adapted to move. This cable or chainU is secured, at its right hand end, to the pin a secured in the gear wheel G revolubly supported upon the stud s and engaged by a smaller sgmr gear 9 revolubly supported upon a sha t s, extending through the L shaped bearing arm k,

and .carry'mg' n its forward end the beveled gear 9 mes ng in turn with a similar beveled gear 9 on the shaft S The gear 9 is freely revoluble upon this shaft .9 except when clutched thereto by means of the clutch T engaged and operated by the bifurcated end of the lever t pivota ly sup orted in turn in the ears t and carrying t e handle A main shaft S is suitably mounted in bearings 70 secured to the rear end of "the casing A and carries outside of such bearings spur ears each engaging a spur gear 9 revolub e upon a sleeve 8 revoluble also on a stud 8 extending outwardly from the side of the casing A. Each sleeve 8 carries a spur gear 9 and has splined thereon the toothed clutch 1' adapted to be operated in the manner to be explained to engage the gear wheel 9 The ears 9 mesh with the gear wheels G pre erably secured to the main drive Wheels w. Each gear 9! may be clutched to its corresponding gear 9 through the mechanism of the clutch levers 1" and the links 1' connecting their lower ends with the disk R,pivotally'supported at its center and carrying the operating hand '1". The shaft S carries a band or sprocket wheel 72 from which, by means of the band or sprocket P motion is communicated to the pulley p on the end of the shaft S impartmg thereto rotation in the dlrection indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1. One of the gears preferably the one to the left of the o erator on the platform D is engaged by tie gear 9 on the drive shaft S of the engine which it will at once he understood is shown only diagrammatically to illustrate a source of ower.

' At 0 1s seen an opening closed by the door C for stoking the furnace.

In operating my machine the fire is built in the usual way in the furnace on the grates H and when the heat thereof has generated suflicient steam in the boiler B the engine may be started in the usual way and by operatingthe lever r the machine may e propolled along the road with the scoop E one lever 25 the door 0 and the scoo E are raised to the positions indicated in *ig. 1 at C and E causin the snow in the scoop E to be discharged into the melting chamber and it is then finely divided and forced to the rear by means of the revolving blades or arms 3/ on the shaft 8.

By operating the steering wheel m, as indicated in Fig. 3, the machine may be directed so as to cause the scoop E to properly engage into the piles or heaps of snow and the water from the melted snow runs out throu h the pipes j and the valves 7' and may e discharged upon the road bed or pavement or when desired the hose n ma e attached to the nozzles of the faucets yand the water led therethrough to any de- I sired location to avoid unnecessary flooding of the road bed or pavement and by the manipulation of the levers r and t and by operating the steering wheel mtheroper control of the machine and the severe parts thereof may be maintained.

' It is to be understood that when the engine or motor is runnin the scoop E may be operated independent y of the movement of t e machine upon the road bed and that the machine may be bed independen scoop E.

From the foregoing description of the construction and 'method of operatin the several parts-of my machine it is be loved that the operation and method of using the same is sufiiciently clear to call for no further consideration herein.

What I claim is:

1. Cooperatively combined for the urpose describe ,a truck ada ted to move a ong the road bed; a melting c amber, and means for heating the same, provided with suitable discharge opening or openings for the water from the melted snow; an opening through the wall of the melting chamber; a scoo for en aging the snow in front of the trucl: pivota ly supported in alinement with vthe opening for receiving the snow in the melting chamber and means for swin ing the snow scoopto discharge the snow t ierefrom into the melting chamber.

2. C06 eratively'combined for the purpose desoribe( a truck adapted to move along the road bed; a melting c lamber, and means for heating the same, provided with suitable disy of the operation of the progressed along the road t charge opening or openings for the water ing forreceiving the snow in the melting chamber and means for opening the door to the melting chamber and swinging the snow scoop to discharge thesnow therefrom into the melting chamber and operative connections between such door and such snow scoop to cod eratively time their movements.

3. 06 eratively combined for the ]purpose describe a truck adapted to move a ong the road bed; a melting chamber, and means for heating the same, provided with suitable discharge opening or openings for the water from the melted snow; an opening through the 2 wall of the melting chamber provided with a suitable closure or door; a scoop for engaging the snow in fgont of the truck plvotally supported in alinement with the 0 ening for receiving the snow in the me ting chamber and means for o ening the door to the melting chamber an for swinging the snow scoo to discharge the snow therefrom in the me ting chamber.

4. Coiiperatively combined for the purpose described, a truck adapted to move along the road bed; a melting chamber, and means for heating the same, provided with suitable discharge opening or openings for the water from the melted snow; an o ening through the wall of the melting cham er; a series of revolubly supported blades in the melting chamber for engagin and dividing the snow and means for revo ving the same; a scoop for engaging the snow in front of the truck pivotally supported in alinement with the opening for receiving the snow in the melting chamber and means for swinging the snow scoop to discharge the snow therefrom into the melting chamber.

5. Gotiperatively combined for the purpose described, a truck adapted to move along the road bed; a melting chamber, and means for heating the same, provided with suitable discharge opening or openings for the water from. the melted snow; an opening through the wall of the melting chamber provided with a Suitable closure or door; a series of revolubly supported blades in the melting chamber for engaging and dividing the snow and means for revolving the same; a scoop for engaging the snow in front of the truck pivotally supported in alinement with the opening for receiving the snow in the melting chamber and means for opening the door to the melting chamber and swing.- ing the snow scoop to discharge the snow therefrom into the melting chamber and operative connections between such door and such snow scoop to coiipcratively time their movements.

6. Ooiiperatively combined for the purpose described, a truck adapted to move along the road bed; a melting chamber, and

means for heating the same, provided with suitable discharge opening or openings for the water from the melted snow; an opening through the wall of the melting chamber provided witha suitable closure or door; a

series of revolubly supported blades'in the melting chamber for, engaging and dividing the snow and means for revolving the same; a scoop for engaging the snow in front of the truck pivotall supported in alinement with the opening or receiving the snow in the melting chamber and means for opening the door to the melting chamber and for swinging the snow scoop to discharge the snow therefrom in the melting chamber.

7. Coiiperatively combined for the purpose described, a truck adapted to move along the road bed provided with means for propelling the same; a melting chamber, and means for heating the same, provided with.

suitable discharge opening or, openings for the water from the melted snow; an opening through the wall of the melting chamber; a scoop for engaging the snow in front of the truc pivota I; supported in alinement with the opening or receiving the snow in the melting chamber and means for swinging the snow scoop to discharge the snow therefrom into the melting chamber.

8. Cotiperatively combined, for the purpose described, a truck adapted to move along the road bed provided with means for propelling the same; a melting chamber, and means for heating the same, provided-with suitable discharge opening or openings for the water from the melted snow; an open ing through the wall of the melting chamber; a series of revolubly supported blades in the melting chamber for enga ing and dividing the snow and means fbr revolving the same; a scoop for engaging the snow in front of the truck pivotally supported in alinement With the opening for receiving the snow in the melting chamber and means for swinging the snow scoop to discharge {)he snow therefrom into the melting cham- 9. Cotiperatively combined for the pur pose described, a truck adapted to move along the road bed provided with means for propelling the same; a melting chamber, and means for heating the same, provided with suitable discharge opening or openings for the water from the melted snow; an opening through the Wall of the melting chamber provided with a suitable closure or door; a scoop for en aging the snow in front of the truck pivotally supported in alinement with the opening for receiving the snow in the melting chamber and means for opening the door to the melting chamber and swinging the snow scoop to discharge the snow therefrom into the melting chamber and operative connections between such door and such snow scoop to cooperatively time their movements.

10. Cooperatively combined for the purpose described, a truck adapted to move along the road bed provided with means for propelling the same; a melting chamber, and means for heating the same, provided with suitable discharge opening or openings for the water fromthe melted snow; an opening door to the meltin chamber and swinging throu h the wall of the melting chamber the snow scoop to ischarge the snow there provi ed with a suitable closure or door; a from into the melting chamber and operative series of revolubly supported blades in the connections between such door and such 5 melting chamber for engaging and dividing snow scoop to cooperatively time their move- 15 the snow and means for revolving the same ments.

a scoop for engaging the snow in front of the ARMIN STRAUSS. truck pivotall supported in alinement with Witnesses: the opening" or receiving the snow in the MARTHA M. NELSON.

19 meltingchamber and means for opening the Qsnomm F. GURNEY. 

